Know Your Environment. Protect Your Health.

Dichloromethane (methylene chloride)

Eagle Water Company Inc

Methylene chloride is a common industrial solvent used for paint stripping, vapor degreasing, printing, electronics manufacturing and cleaning. It causes cancer and liver damage in animal studies. Read More.

Surface and groundwater can be contaminated with methylene chloride from industrial releases and landfill leaching. The EPA considers methylene chloride likely carcinogenic to people. Long-term ingestion of drinking water with methylene chloride contamination can cause liver damage and cancer. Occupational exposure to methylene chloride and other solvents has been linked with increased risk of miscarriage. Birth defects have also been observed in studies of laboratory animals exposed to methylene chloride during pregnancy.

Click here to read more about carcinogenic VOCs.

 

16

Samples

0

Samples exceeding legal limit (MCL)

0

Samples exceeding
health guidelines

Testing results - average by year

 
YearAverage resultSamples takenDetectionsRange of results
2018ND20ND
2019ND60ND
2020ND20ND
2021ND20ND
2022ND40ND
2023N/A00N/A

ppb = parts per billion

State, National, and Health Guidelines for Drinking Water

EWG Health Guideline: 4 ppb

The EWG Health Guideline of 4 ppb for dichloromethane (methylene chloride) was defined by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a public health goal, the level of a drinking water contaminant that does not pose a significant health risk. This health guideline protects against cancer.

EPA Maximum Contaminant
Level (MCL): 5 ppb

The legal limit for dichloromethane, established in 1992, was based on analytical detection limits at the time that the standard was set.

ppb = parts per billion

All test results

Date Lab ID Result
2018-12-27V1863070ND
2018-12-27V1863069ND
2019-12-30V1964485ND
2019-12-30V1964483ND
2019-12-30V1964487ND
2019-12-30V1964489ND
2019-12-30V1964491ND
2019-12-30V1964493ND
2020-12-29V2065049ND
2020-12-29V2065050ND
2021-10-05V2152922ND
2021-10-05V2152921ND
2022-01-26V2203922ND
2022-05-26V2225371ND
2022-06-28V2230858ND
2022-07-26V2235891ND